Our spiritual and physical Journey towards God

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Month: April 2014

At daybreak, Jesus appeared again in the Temple. He had taken his seat and was engaged in teaching, when the scribes and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught committing adultery.

Making her stand in the middle, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. In the law, Moses has laid down that such women are to be stoned. What do you say about it?’

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they continued to press their question he sat up straight and said,’ Let which of you is free from sin throw the first stone.’

Then once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard what he said, one by one they went away, the eldest first; and Jesus was left alone, with the woman still standing there.

Jesus again sat up and said to the woman,’ Where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

She answered,’ No one, Sir.’

‘ Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus said.’ Go; And do not sin again.’

‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “what am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.”

‘Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, and have a good time.”

‘But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”

‘So it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.’

Susie was what you might call a typical teenager. She liked chatting to her mother, often in the kitchen, usually when she’d had a less than successful day. One time, everything seemed to have gone wrong. She had had an argument with her best friend, forgotten to do her homework, and missed the bus home.

Her mother, busy baking a cake, listen carefully to the tale of woe.

“Here, try some of this,” she said, handing her daughter a bowl of beaten eggs.

“No, thanks,” Susie replied.

“Well, what about some of this?” And she handed her daughter a tub of margarine. “Or how about some baking soda?”

She smiled at her daughter’s expression. “A lot of things don’t seem very good on their own,” she said, “but put together, you find that they turn out all right.

That’s the way God works, too. We don’t know why He allows some things to happen, but if we let him He can bring them all together and turn them into something special.

It allows us to say good-bye to guilt, blame and shame. It purifies the heart and soul and puts us in touch with all that is sacred.
Through forgiveness, we connect with that which is greater than ourselves and become the person God intended us to be.

The key to forgiveness is the willingness to make the effort. How long it takes depends on your belief system.

If you think it can’t be done, it won’t happen. If you believe it will take years, that will be your experience.
But if you are willing to believe that it can be done in an instant, that is all it will take.

The Stepping Stones to Forgiveness:-

1. Be open to the possibility of changing your beliefs about forgiveness.

Recognize that forgiveness is an act of strength, not weakness.

2. Be willing to let go of being a victim. Choose to believe that holding on to grievances and unforgiving thoughts is choosing to suffer. Find no value in self-pity.
3. Remind yourself that your anger and judgments can’t change the past or punish someone else, but they can hurt you.

The events of the past cannot hurt you now, but your thoughts about the past can cause you immense distress and pain. Recognize that any emotional pain you feel this moment is caused only by your own thoughts.
4. See the value of giving up, not some, but all of your judgments. It is no coincidence that the happiest people are those who choose not to judge and know the value of forgiveness.

5. Recognize that holding on to anger will not bring you what your truly want.

Ask yourself this question, “Does holding on to my justified anger really bring me peace of mind?” Anger and peace; judgment and happiness do not occur at the same time.

6. See that there is no value in punishing yourself. Once you truly recognize that your angry, unhappy thoughts about the past are
poisoning your life, you will embrace forgiveness and know the meaning of love.

7. Believe that forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past! Accept your past, forgive your past, and embrace the present and future with hope! There is no law forcing you to remain a victim of the past.

8. Choose to be happy rather than right. When we stop trying to control others and focus instead on our own thoughts, we give ourselves the
gift of freedom and peace.
9. Believe that you have the power to choose the thoughts you put into your mind.

Perhaps the greatest gift we have been given is the power to choose loving thoughts rather than angry ones.

Your mind is not a dumpster that will remain unaffected by the trash you put into it.

Treat it like a garden and it will blossom.
With many peaceful blessings

It was battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought it was scarcely worth his while,
To waste much time with the old violin, so he held it up with a smile.

“What am I bid, good people” said he, “who’ll start the bidding for me?
A guinea, a guinea, now two, only two, two guineas and who’ll make it three?
Three guineas once, three guineas twice but from the room far back, a grey haired man came forward while stooping low,
He looked at the man on the auctioneer’s stand and bowed as he picked up the bow.

The man wiped the dust from the old violin, then tightening up its strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet, as a laughing angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer, in a voice that was quite low:
“What am I bid for the old violin?” and he held it up with its bow.

“A thousand guineas and who’ll make it two, that’s two and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice, and going and gone,” said he.

Then the people stared and demanded to speak: “We still do not quite understand,
3,000 guineas is too much to pay, for the touch of a master’s hand.”

It’s the same for a man with his life out of tune, who’s battered and torn with sin,
He’s auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin.

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on,
He’s going once, he’s going twice, he’s going and almost gone.

But the master comes and the foolish crowd, can never quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought, By The Touch Of The Master’s Hand.
With many peaceful blessings

Any separation from you will be very painful. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

Place your trust in me. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as a punishment: I have only you.

Talk to me: even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand the thoughts that are in them.

No matter how you treat me, I will only remember what was good.

Before you scold me for being lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me.

Perhaps I’m not getting the right food or I’ve been out in the sun or in the cold for too long.

When I am old, maybe I will be getting weaker than you might expect me to.

And when the time comes, be with me when I go on that last most difficult journey of all: for everything will be easier for me if you are there: try to understand that I only came to earth to be with you and to love you